Domestic Auto Increase
Although domestic car sales this year have increased compared to last year, the sales of sedans have decreased.
The combined sales of five domestic automakers from Jan. to July this year, excluding commercial vehicles, stood at 714,000 units, up 3.1 percent from the same period last year. However, 27 out of 29 domestic sedan models saw a drop in sales.
As of July, the cumulative sales of Hyundai Motor’s i30 decreased as much as 55.8 percent from a year earlier, showing the biggest drop. The trend is largely due to the rising demand of sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and minivans, as more and more Korean people enjoy leisure activities. Also, there were no new sedan models in the first half of this year.
Despite the poorest-ever results of sedan models this year, recreational vehicles are showing good results. The cumulative sales of the Kia Sorento and Carnival as of July grew as much as 280.8 percent and 92.7 percent, respectively, from the same period a year ago.